Dodger

This is nice memory Drew and well thought out too. Posted on the tenth anniversary. I hope your sister didn't eat your fruit loops though.

Nice conversation with Jamie, but a little odd at the end. Good chapter.

Poor Brandon is so messed up at the moment, but I recognise the dilemma that he's going through at the moment and I think that this will strike a familiar chord with a lot of people. Trying to convince yourself that you're straight because you know that your life will be a lot easier that way. You've worded it really well, for a while there Brandon could have been me.

Another good chapter. I feel so sorry for Brandon, even though I know what happens.

The worst feeling ever when you find out that you guy you like and was sure that he liked you is actually straight!

Wow, that was some dream, Brandon. Nice work though, and I've almost caught up now!

Another good chapter; I'm getting to like Marie.

That's all that anyone really asks for. You're right; they are good people, who want to do the right thing. I know that it's not always easy for parents and I've often tried to put myself in their shoes. My parents made mistakes and it wasn't easy for me but I can't say for certain if I would have handled it any better.

Another nice chapter. I've always liked Stevie anyway.

That school must be even worse than San Quentin for poor Jimmy. I feel for this kid the same as Brandon does.

Thanks, @mg777 so much for your comment. When I first started posting this story I was skeptical because there were already a lot of similar stories out there. I never imagined that it would go on this long (I've extended the story from its original length by adding extra chapters here and there) or be this popular. The additional chapters have taken the story in a slightly different direction but the ending will have to be the same. I don't want to give too much away but it's not bad and I have been toying with the idea of a sequel. After all, Robbie will only be sixteen when this story ends!

Thank you for sharing this. I admire you both for your honesty and for giving us this quick peek into your lives. The dominant thing has been something that I've never really been able to understand and I still don't quite get it but I know that it's not about hurting someone or being hurt. This must be a popular misconception.

Nice chapter, introducing Stevie. I like Brandon's take on his new relationship with his girl 'friend' Marie, but maybe he should explain his feelings to her and let her decide if that's what she wants out of this.

I'm glad that Jamie managed to talk to Brandon alone. For a while, I thought that Marie wasn't going to allow her brother the chance to explain to Brandon. His friends are real jerks though and I fell for poor Jimmy. Out of all the characters in the Billy Chase/Brandon stories, it's Jimmy who always seems to get treated the worst. He takes a real battering throughout. No one deserves a slice of luck more than he does, maybe at Billy's expense.

That was a cool date for the pair; nothing too romantic but Marie will want to move forward from here and Brandon only wants her as a friend. Unless there have the same goals from the beginning it cannot work I'm afraid.

Happy Birthday, Emi. Have a good day, the pictures are great!

The fire drill was fun and so was the chat with his dad. I hope that his date goes well but not too well. Will he be able to keep Billy out of his mind for an entire evening?

Well done Brandon for talking to Jamie and pointing out what he obviously wasn't able to see. I couldn't imagine Jamie leading him into a trap. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with Marie.

A boyfriend who's a girl doesn't sound very good to me but Brandon is totally obsessed with Billy. He needs to make some kind of a move before it drives him crazy. It's been a long time since I read the early books of Billy Chase which is probably good because I can't remember the finer details. Great job.

Don't do it, Brandon, girls are not your thing and we all know that Billy's also barking up the wrong tree with straight Simon.

I'm a fan of Jamie Cross, we'll have to see about his sister. I like the references to smells which are of course very important as far as our memory is concerned. I can remember certain smells from my childhood that are more powerful than the memory itself.

Nice chapter, I feel for Brandon and for JOEseph too. Now he can concentrate on Billy. Not AJ please!

I'm glad to see Brandon not chickening out and his poem was really cool. Who wouldn't be impressed? He must know now that Billy's interested.

All good Emi. We're ready for the final installment!

Thank you, @spikey582 for this wonderful feedback on the story. First of all yes, I think that Robbie definitely feels like an outsider in the family, despite Nicola's recent 'U' turn and undoubted efforts from Sue to make him feel a part of the family. It does take a while for this to happen and it can't be forced. Robbie hasn't helped by putting up his own mental barriers but eventually, even these will be broken down. Robbie has used the situation to his own advantage causing friction with Nicola and we know now, Daniel. The way that he has used people isn't too dissimilar to what Alex has done. A watered down version perhaps. Clearly, Don has serious issues and we already know that he is homophobic, but Robbie convinced him in the past that he was straight and Don still believes this. It doesn't excuse his deplorable reaction, but he sees their relationship as purely sexual and in his mind 'deviant'. In actual fact, their relationship has been quite tame, with very little sex. It would be interesting of course to see what happened after Robbie left and what has been said but the story is told through Robbie's eyes and we only know what he knows. We will find out more soon though. Thanks again spikey.